With the restaurant motto of 'Eat all you can Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu', Suki-Ya (which translates into "House of Hot Pot") aims to offer a heart-warming dining experience at affordable prices. We happened to be at Marina Square on Christmas night, and thought that a hot pot dinner was an ideallic option for a cold season like this. (Okay, not exactly cold - Singapore has no seasons other than summer.)

The Eat-All-You-Can/buffet prices are as such:

Mondays-Thursdays
Lunch @ $16.90++ // Dinner @ $20.90++

Fridays-Sundays, Eve of and Public Holidays
Add $2 to usual price

Children (4-9 Years Old)
Minus 25% off Adult Price

Diners get to enjoy unlimited, quality paper-thin beef and pork slices, as well as chicken, on top of the buffet bar where a wide variety of vegetables and meatballs are served. There are a total of four options for the broth - Shabu shabu, kimchi, sukiyaki and spicy miso, which is only available on weekends, eve of and public holidays. For buffet option, you get to enjoy free flow of green tea too.Besides the buffet items included, you can order a la carte items, such as edamame, gyoza, ebi tempura and my personal favourite - unagi kebayaki. Alcoholic and other drink options are available as well.

Please do note that food wastage is heavily charged at 20% of total bill.

Prior to this, I've done some online research on Suki-Ya and found quite a handful of bloggers/diners complaining about their unsatisfactory services. However, I find no problems with the service staff (or is it because of the merry festive?), but they could definitely improve on their food variety, perhaps by including some of the a la carte items into the buffet.

Red Star Restaurant is conveniently located at Chin Swee Road, which is just a short 5 minutes walk away from Chinatown station. Usually flooded with diners, especially the elderly who came to gather and reminisce the nostalgic ambience. I love how they are still using the classic quaint pushcarts, which contains trays and baskets filled with freshly made dim-sum.

More often than not, Red Star Restaurant has always been the preferred choice when it comes to choosing a dinner place for dear grandma's birthday. Besides serving your usual dim-sum fix in the morning, this Mandarin restaurant which is opened by four well-known chefs in the 1970s, whipped out pretty decent Cantonese classics as well.

For example, their signature Yam Basket topped with assorted ingredients is a favourite of many. Its crispy exterior covered the soft, piping hot yam cake, matched with a couple of savoury seafood and vegetables, this delectable dish is one of the must-tries. Chicken with Assorted Vegetables was a tad bland for my liking. Nevertheless, I like the unique idea of combining ham with chicken chunks, topped with creamy egg sauce.Fried Fish Slices in Sweet and Sour Sauce was average. Nothing to rave about, as I usually do not eat fried fish slices, but when I do, I love it when it's soaked in broth.We also had their spinach leaves, which turns out to be too clumpy. I just wished they'd put more eggs in it.一品锅, also known as Royal Pot consists of an array of vegetables and seafood, including a generous portion of the luxurious sea cucumber.Generally, Red Star Restaurant is an ideal place to head to if you want the nostalgia it brings, which is great for family gatherings, especially when there are elderly. Other than that, food and service were pretty average, as there are definitely better ones out there.

Chicken Hotpot was something we always wanted to try at Serangoon Nex - the ingredients coupled with boiling broth looks appetizing, their concept of "Shanghai-nese buffet hotpot" is refreshing, what else? Oh yes, televisions screening them as a featured restaurant and what typical Singaporeans look for in a "die-die-must-try" makan place - snaking long queues.

The Shanghai-inspired restaurant has a couple meal going on for approximately $30+, which includes the Spicy Prawn hotpot and Chicken Claypot, along with a jug of thirst-quenching fruit punch/soft drink.

The Spicy Prawn hotpot is recommended for chilli-lovers looking for an intriguing fusion in their mini-hotpot. French fries in sambal broth?! Don't be alarmed like yours truly. It was my virgin experience trying out this unique combination as well, and trust me when I say that it is addictive. Prawns-wise, the meat lacks in juiciness and appears to be slightly overcooked. For health gurus, just a friendly warning that the gravy will be quite oily to take in.
Their signature Chicken Claypot was the highlight of the entire meal, with tender and succulent chicken meat simmered in thick and flavourful base over long hours. It is paired with crunchy celery, capsicums and onions. However, the amount of chicken meat was rather disappointing, if not, paired with glass noodles, the Chicken Claypot would make a perfect choice for any individuals looking for inner warmth in a chilly weather.
Not enough? Grab some ala carte items (S$1+ to S$3+) and cook them in the refillable broth!

All in all, Chicken Hotpot is not really "wow-inducing", but it would do fine for people looking for convenient and fuss-free hotpot meals, else the slightly hefty price.

Speaking about dim-sums, my makan buddies are forever raving about Swee Choon, a well-known and established local restaurant which has opened its doors since the 1960s. As a huge dim-sum lover, I knew I would be sorry if I gave this a miss.

Located at the heart of Jalan Besar, in the district of Little India, Swee Choon is well-known for delicacies such as xiao long bao, la mian and various Hong Kong and Shanghai dim-sum. Opened from 6pm to 6am to serve your dim-sum cravings even at the wee hours, be not surprised to see long queues starting at approximately 5.30pm.

One of their signature creations, Swee Choon Mee Suah Kueh (S$2.00 for 2) - deep fried vermicelli cake with crispy brown skin, while the interior is soft and steamy. Although one might think that noodles and cakes are not quite a match, but I dare say that this uniquely scrumptious dish will prove you wrong.Their Fried Custard Pumpkin (S$1.80 for 2) is decent with a slight tinge of sweetness. However, the skin is too thick and starchy for my liking.The classic Siew Mai (S$1.80 for 2) is slightly longer than standard and tasted decent, the meat is a little over-minced, resulting in the lack of different textures. I prefer the ones at 126 Eating House much more.My favourite is their Red Bean Paste Pancake (S$4.80) - sweet red bean paste enclosed in a thin layer of crispy skin. Trust me when I say the crunch is loud and how I wished they'd serve a scoop of good chocolate ice cream with this.Another must-try is their signature Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun also known as "Liu Sha Bao" (S$3.00 for 3). The rich sweet custard explodes when you sink your teeth in it. The saltiness of the yolk and sweetness of the custard complemented each other, making this one of their winning dishes.Another of their speciality, Swee Choon Big Pau (S$1.60) is another winner. Big fluffy chinese bun filled with minced pork, a piece of chicken, egg and half a shitake mushroom. Best to eat it while it's hot.We also ordered the Sichuan Chilly Oil Wanton La Mian (*S$4.80). The noodles were a tad too starchy for usual la mian, but the wanton is good.
Lastly, we had the Fried Hor Fun w/ Shrimp in Creamy Egg Sauce (*S$4.80). Delicious dish with fresh succulent shrimps in an abundance of creamy sauce (just look at that eggy goodness!)Overall, Swee Choon proved to be worthy of a dim-sum paradise. A great dining place for family gatherings or friends outings. Or if you simply want to have your late-night or early hours dim-sum fix, Swee Choon is the place to head to.

I am pretty sure the well-known shopping district in Taiwan - Xi Men Ding is no stranger to most of you. A fast-rising source of fashion and culture, Xi Men Ding is also home to the greatest food in Taipei. Since popular local food stalls which boast authentic Taiwanese delicacies are on the rise nowadays, one can easily enjoy a taste of Taiwan here.

Girlfriend Peiyi and I would be heading to Taipei soon in mid-November 2012, and we thought, why not try something in preparation for our trip? We were in Vivocity at that point of time, and Xi Men Ding was quite the obvious choice. There was a short queue of approximately 6 people, but we were seated within 5 minutes.

Anyway, we took notice of their signature fried rice - an impressive looking Taiwanese-style Grilled Roe Fried Rice (S$11.00). It was quite a disappointment when the grilled fish roes came 50% smaller than the ones in pictures. (Blame it on the "for illustration purpose only") Nevertheless, the fried rice was well fragranced and everything - the crunchy cabbage, spring onions and scrambled eggs came to mix perfectly with the heavily flavoured roes.Another speciality - San Bei Chicken with Basil (S$18.90) was slightly bland and overcooked, resulting in juice-less and hard chicken chunks. As a matter of fact, with the exhorbitant price, I could get better quality as well as quantity, at the neighbourhood tze char stall below the block.
Fresh Fish Slices w/ Miso Soup (S$6.90) was delectable with the generous portions of mushrooms and fish slices (you don't see it in the picture cos' they are at the bottom).Xi Men Ding also serves a selection of Flower Tea Balls and Floral Tea. With the typical soft drinks going about at the same price, we rather go for a healthier alternative. Hence, we had Osmanthus Tea (S$8.00). I supposed that osmanthus tea emits a strong, sweet fragrance, but this was just bland.Contrary to what many food reviews said about their terrible service, I found it acceptable - the service staff smiled and greeted us. That is pure basic service techniques. However, there was once I requested a waitress to clear up a minor spillage on our table, but she totally forgot about it. Xi Men Ding is probably another restaurant that I will say "this is my first, and the last", as they failed to create any "wow" factors (except for the pricings) or any other reasons I should visit them again.